I could do with some facts and figures about what the tax credit system is costing, if anyone has time on their hands and enjoys researching on the internet.

I am interested in, for example:

Now much in tax credits and pension credits goes unclaimed, either in total to date, or each year.

Any published costs for answering SARN requests, handling disputes through the Adjudicator or Ombudsman, taking cases to court, etc. (Very probably hard to find and a well-kept HMRC/government secret).

Amounts recovered/written off.

Amount of correspondence dealt with by HMRC, Ministers and MPs relating to tax credits, and any costs associated with these.

In fact, any useful facts or figures on tax credits which seem fairly up-to-date, particularly anything which shows:

- how money is going unclaimed due to the system being so bad- that flawed processes and recovery cost more than an efficient service and write-off- where money is wasted or miss-spent elsewhere in the tax credit system- bonuses to staff for not doing their jobs- low morale in tax credit offices and ANYTHING relating to costs of measures HMRC may have taken to strengthen this (are they offering perks to employees?)

We've got persuasive arguments for write-off anyway, but I just want to sharpen them! And evidence a few more pointa and claims.

Would be useful to see both data and sources - links - as we usually do.

Thanks everyone! Ali.

Trinity: The answer is out there… and it's looking for you, and it will find you if you want it to.

The Treasury Select Committee found that senior managers at HMRC received an average bonus of £7,727 in 2006/07, up three-fifths on the previous year. The total amount was £18.9m, which rose again to £23m in 2007/08.

The report reveals low morale in the department with only 10% of civil servants employed there feeling "change is well managed" and only 15% believing "senior management provided effective leadership".

The department has been under fire for high levels of fraud and error in paying out child tax credits and the loss of 25m child benefit records.

Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff in HM Revenue and Customs have been investigated for fraud in the last 12 months. [187632]

Jane Kennedy: From 1 April 2007 to date, there have been 35 completed investigations into suspected fraudulent activity by staff. HMRC is a large organisation employing approximately 88,000 staff.

"There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know".Donald Rumsfeld